1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for exterminating insect pests and, more particularly to a method for exterminating insect pests inside and outside a mound built by the insect pests.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mound-building insect pests cause tremendous damage to agriculture and the environment. Conventional methods for exterminating insect pests such as fire ants involve use or not use of chemical pharmaceuticals. Methods not using chemical pharmaceuticals involve boiling water, drowning, and biological pest control, all of which are intended to reduce impact to the environment. According to official record, soaking the area of fire ants by boiling water could only obtain 60% control effect of fire ants with the side effect of damage to surrounding plants. The drowning method requires submerging the whole ant mound in a bucket filled with detergent for more than 24 hours, which does not allow handling of ant mounds of a large area. Furthermore, attack from and escape of fire ants are inevitable while digging and handling the ant mound. The biological pest control utilizes Thelohania solenopsae or parasitic flies to reduce advantages of fire ants, yet this method is still not mature. Two stages are involved when exterminating fire ants with pharmaceuticals. In the first stage, three kinds of pharmaceutical baits approved by the Advisory Council on Agriculture were placed in the feeding area to lure fire ants. In the second stage which began after 10-14 days of the first stage, six kinds of pharmaceuticals approved by the Advisory Council on Agriculture were poured by a machine into channels in the ant mound. According to official record, 98% control effect was achieved. However, success of this method relies on the weather. Specifically, it must not rain in 12 hours after placing the pharmaceutical baits.